Tubular medical instruments of this type are in use in endoscopic surgery, for instance in the configuration as needle holder. Because of more stringent hygienic standards, it is increasingly frequent that demands are made whereby tubular instruments that include hollow areas, for instance hollow shafts, should be configured so that they can be at least partly dismantled for thorough cleansing and sterilization, preferably sterilization by steam.
In DE 43 07 539 A1, a generic tubular medical instrument, configured as a forceps, is reported. This known tubular instrument can be broken down into three principal units for cleansing and sterilization: the push-pull rod, hollow shaft, and handle. The coupling mechanism for connecting the hollow shaft and handle is configured in this construction as a snap-on connection. Snap-on connections in themselves, as a rule, involve a certain free play when they are not manufactured with extremely minute tolerances, which in turn increase manufacturing costs and make handling difficult during assembly.
It is consequently the object of the invention to perfect a tubular medical instrument in such a way that the hollow shaft and handle can be dissolubly connected to one another by means of a coupling mechanism that, to the greatest extent possible, functions without free play.